Many people in this world have jobs that require starting work at a certain time. In addition, many people have appointments or meetings, in which they cannot be late. These are a few of the reasons alarm clocks were invented. Alarm clocks alert people at a pre-selected time chosen by the user. Users set an alarm to go off at a time that allows them enough time to get ready and commute to work or to attend an appointment. A problem arises when there is an accident on the route the user usually follows, or if the weather creates traffic problems or other delays. These and other reasons will cause people to be late to work or miss a meeting, which could be harmful. On the other hand, many people may also desire a little extra time for sleeping if the traffic is particularly light one morning or if, for example, the weather causes a delay in a flight they are scheduled to take that morning. For these and many other reasons, users desire an alarm clock or alerting system that will provide an alarm or alert at a desirable time.
Alarm clocks have been developed that take into account bad weather. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,660 to Canavan discloses a snow alarm that allows the user to pre-set two wake-up times: one for normal conditions, and one for "snowy" conditions. A physical snow sensor set-up outside a user's home will trigger the earlier time if snow accumulates overnight. However, the '660 Patent relies on a physical device that detects only snow accumulation in the immediate vicinity of the user. Prior devices do not allow for monitoring traffic conditions or weather conditions remote from the user. Also, such systems do not allow for either a multiplicity of pre-set or post-set wake-up times, or a myriad of conditions that would change the alarm time.
The challenges in the field of alarm clocks have continued to increase with demands for more and better techniques having greater flexibility and reliability. In addition, with the wealth of information readily available nowadays, especially because of the internet, world wide web, and other data sources, a need has arisen for a new system and method for alerting a user.